I had muesli for breakfast the other day and I got to work five minutes late.
I told someone this with my serious face on and she made that quantum leap that the effect of the oats and grains and other good stuff that’s in muesli must have been immediate –hence the delay.
Having not made the leap myself, it took me a while to catch on to her train of thought.
I corrected her immediately. If this had been the case, I would have made up an excuse for my tardiness rather than admit to a serious ablution dash. No, this was not the reason a few grains and dried fruits made me late.
It was all about the chewing. When I poured out my little bowl of goodness, topping it with a little bit of yoghurt and a splash of almond milk, I didn’t think about the time it would take to chew and swallow. But muesli, my good folks, is a far cry from the usual 1.5 weetbix or fruit smoothie that is my usual breakfast repast. There is a reason why babies can so easily switch from rice cereal to weetbix, which once sogged with sufficient milk, can pretty much be eaten with a wide straw. And of course the smoothie, is. Muesli is a whole different breakfast ballgame and requires some serious chew factor. This is a cereal that can’t be hurried.
On the other hand, my usual fare makes for an easy morning for a person who allows 10 minutes to dress and get ready, 10 minutes to eat breakfast and 10 minutes to make lunch before work in the morning. When you are on a timeline, every chew counts. Hence, the noticeable difference in the bowl (no, my friend, not that one) and the estimated time of arrival.
I can of course, get out of bed five minutes earlier. But I figure the girl who allowed 15 minutes between arising and dashing for the bus stop on the way to school should be able to do all the same stuff in double the time. I must admit to wasting some time deciding what to wear (at least with school, that choice is removed), but otherwise I could have got up, eaten breakfast, grabbed some lunch and my school bag before the clock struck the quarter hour. Maybe the muesli isn’t the only thing slowing me down.
